WENTWORTH: Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma endured an early rough patch before a strong finish to card a one-over 73 in the final round and sign off tied 48th at the BMW PGA Championship here.
Sharma, playing in the company of former two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington, was three-over through 11 holes before finding his first birdie of the day.
But he gave that away soon after on 14th. He ended with birdies on the two closing par-fives for a 73 and a total of even-par 288 for the week.
Home hero Tyrrell Hatton battled off a strong challenge from Frenchman Victor Perez to earn a dream victory at his home event ahead of his 29th birthday on Wednesday.
A five-under 67 in the final round ensured a four-stroke victory.
Hatton admitted that he had been more nervous ahead of the final round than he had been on his Ryder Cup debut in 2018.
Yet he stayed composed as he pulled away from the pack thanks to three successive birdies around the turn.
He never looked back and a birdie at the final hole earned him a 19 under total for the Championship, sealing a fifth European Tour title and elevating him to eighth in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
With this, he also entered the Top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings.